


Laura Hollis and the Sanguine Legacy

by leblanc_apella, Sweedledome



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: F/F, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-21
Updated: 2015-03-31
Packaged: 2018-03-08 13:08:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3210287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leblanc_apella/pseuds/leblanc_apella, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweedledome/pseuds/Sweedledome
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>By her sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Laura Hollis thought there was nothing left to be shocked by in the wizarding world...she thought wrong. Carmilla HPAU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ministerial Decree 192

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there. So this is a Carmilla AU set in the HP universe being written by myself and the awesome Dracossack. We’ll try to update as regularly as we can and we hope you enjoy :)

Ministerial Decree 192

 

Laura jolted awake with a start as a small bump interrupted the smooth glide of the train. Letting out a sleepy grumble, she cricked her neck back into position and gave a cursory glance around the cabin to see Danny and LaFontaine still avidly hunched over their game. Since Danny had produced the new wizarding chess set she had received for her birthday, the most Laura had been able to get out of either of the two redheads was a half-hearted mumble or an absent grunt. With Perry out bustling through her Prefect duties of patrolling the carriages and nothing else to do on the long train journey, Laura had quickly dozed off to the steady rumble of the Hogwarts Express.

 

Now though, the sky was beginning to dim and the previously flat green landscape that had been blurring passed the window had given way to rocky, mountainous terrain. Laura quickly ascertained from this that they only had an hour or two left to go before they reached the school. Searching for some way to amuse herself, seeing as Danny and LaFontaine clearly weren't ready to part from their beloved game yet (they were too busy watching LaFontaine's bishop on its mission to capture Danny's rook), Laura's eye caught on a copy of The Daily Prophet sticking out of Danny's bag. Being the kind of person who always likes to know what's going on in the world, Laura stood eagerly to fetch the newspaper.

 

As she eyed the overhead racks where they stored any stuff that didn't go to the luggage cart, Laura quickly realised this wasn't going to be an easy task. Stretching right up on her tiptoes, she could just about hook her fingers over the metal bar that edged the rack but Danny's bag remained elusively out of reach. Not one to be defeated, Laura clambered up on to the seats which afforded her more height, but also blinded her as to the location of the bag. She grew increasingly frustrated as her unsighted groping for the infuriating object yielded little result until a small cough interrupted her.

 

"Um, Laura, what are you doing?" LaFontaine queried, finally having managed to drag their eyes away from the board.

 

"Getting the Daily Prophet out of Danny's bag."

 

"Want some help there?" Danny asked, trying to contain her laughter at Laura's failed attempts. Laura gave a sheepish nod and hopped back off the seat, leaving Danny to effortlessly extend one long limb and snag the bag down from its resting place. "I see your dad's given you your yearly supply of bear spray." Danny looked pointedly at the familiar cellophane bag filled with various spray cans accompanying Laura's stuff. "He does know that we can cast stunning spells, doesn't he?" Laura groaned and ran a hand through her hair.

 

"I've tried telling him that but you know how over protective he can be. This makes him feel better about me being away from home so I just go with it."

 

"Are there even any bears on the grounds?" Danny asked, fishing her copy of the Prophet out and handing it to Laura.

 

"I've been studying the Forbidden Forest since we got sorted and I still don't know a fraction of what's in there. Bears could be a possibility." LaFontaine interjected with a shrug and Danny frowned.

 

"Somehow I don't think bears are the biggest thing to be concerned about in that place."

 

"Don't mention that in front of my dad. I actually made the mistake of telling him about the Giant Squid. He tried to smuggle a harpoon into my suitcase." Laura griped before reseating herself. Danny chuckled at Laura's disgruntlement as she sat back down to re-join LaFontaine who had an odd look of glee on their face. Laura just shook her head despairingly at the two and tried to ignore Danny's cries of outrage ("Oh son of a-!" - "I believe that's check mate") as she opened the folded newspaper.

 

Scanning the front page, Laura felt her jaw drop open in shock as she took in the information printed there.

 

"What the….what?" Looking up, she attempted to get the attention of Danny and LaFontaine who were still bickering over their game. "Have you seen this?"

 

"You can't do that!" LaFontaine scowled, ignoring Laura waving the newspaper at them.

 

"Yes I can. Castling is a valid move." Danny replied, similarly distracted.

 

"Um, guys?" Laura tried again.

 

"Not if you've already moved your rook! You did, that means the checkmate stands."

 

"I didn't!

 

"You did!"

 

" _Guys_?!" LaFontaine and Danny finally quit arguing to look at Laura. "Have you seen this?"

 

"No, I haven't had a chance to read it yet. What's up?" Danny asked.

 

"They've passed Ministerial Decree 192." Laura waited for the name to sink in. LaFontaine was the first to get there.

 

"192? That's …that's the one to do with vampires isn't it?"

 

"Yeah, listen to what it says here: _'In a striking move yesterday, the Wizengamot made history by deciding to pass one of their most controversial decrees to date. For years the question of vampire rights have been debated and disputed but this decree marks a significant leap forward in progression for the vampire population. Ministerial Decree 192 states that vampires are no longer to be classed as 'beings of near human intelligence' but are now 'beings of a humanoid nature to be granted the same civil rights and freedoms as humans'. This change in wording opens many new doors for vampires as it nullifies all previous legislation prohibiting vampires from holding certain positions based on their 'less than human' status. Vampires are now free to apply for any jobs, including those of a ministerial nature. Ministry Official Lewis Worple, son to the renowned vampire rights activist and author of the popular **Blood Brothers: My Life Among The Vampires** , Edward Worple, celebrated this victory with great pride. When this reporter asked him what he thought of the ruling, he commented 'today is a new dawn for vampires everywhere…metaphorically speaking of course. It's the first step towards everything my father strived for and I only wish he was here today to see this momentous occasion.'_"

 

"While pretty shocking, that still doesn't explain why you're twitchier than a house elf in a sock factory." La Fontaine commented.

 

"Because that's not the most interesting part. _'Worple further remarked that these newly earned legal rights are just the beginning as many vampires will not be able to take full advantage of these freedoms when there is an inherent risk of being burned to away to ash by the sun in the average work place. Discussions about the implementation of more night time operations that would not only allow vampires the liberty to work without fear of sunlight, but also increase our productivity as a society, are currently taking place. For now, the ones who stand to benefit most from this change in status are part-vampires. Not as restricted as their full-blooded counterparts, part-vampires need only stay out of the sun's rays until noon and suffer fatal effects only after prolonged exposure to the sun. For many part-vampires, this means a whole new host of opportunities are open to them, including educational ones.'_ "

 

Laura finished reading and looked up just in time to watch the penny drop for Danny.

 

"Educational ones? …no, no way…" Laura nodded at her and continued on.

 

"There's more. _'Yes, that's right readers for the first time ever the doors of Hogwarts will be accepting part-vampires as members of the student population. Only two eligible part-vampires currently exist in the United Kingdom and both will be entering Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this September. Unfortunately, neither were available to give comment. However, it has been announced that Lewis Worple himself will be readily on site at the school to oversee the transition and is reported as saying that he relishes the opportunity to encourage integration of vampires into regular human life.'_ "

 

Laura folded the newspaper on to her lap while Danny and LaFontaine absorbed this information. Just as Laura was beginning to worry that she'd somehow broken her friends, LaFontaine spoke up.

 

"We're talking like an actual vampire? Sucks blood? Feeds off humans? Looks at us like a big sundae with a cherry on top? That kind of vampire?"

 

"Well…technically speaking, part-vampire." Laura smiled uneasily, trying to put a positive spin on things.

 

"What's the difference?" Danny snorted. Clearly Laura had not succeeded in her optimism. Danny raised an eyebrow at Laura, waiting for an answer from her short friend. Laura's smile fell as she reluctantly replied.

 

"They still drink blood but don't die as easily."

 

"Exactly."

 

"Oh…yay. And I thought the only thing I had to be stressed about this year was getting a decent grade on my Potions exam." LaFontaine remarked, looking a little pale. Laura patted their back sympathetically and made an attempt to reassure them.

 

"It'll be fine right? I mean…part vampires don't need as much blood. They're more in control of themselves. Plus, Worple will be there and he's the biggest authority on vampires there is." Though her words were spoken confidently, the other two occupants of cabin had learnt to recognise when Laura was trying to convince herself of something and the tell-tale signs of nervousness were there.

 

"Yeah, that's a problem Laura." Danny argued back, "It means they're worried something will go wrong. Why else would a ministry official have to be present? Especially Lewis Worple, he's already been suggested as candidate for the Minister of Magic after Shacklebolt goes. It makes no sense for him to leave the ministry and come keep an eye on things unless they're concerned."

 

"What about for their protection? We haven't even reached the school yet and already they're facing prejudice." Laura said, looking pointedly at Danny. Danny's eyes widened as she got the hint.

 

"That's not…I wasn't…"

 

"Really? Because you seemed pretty keen to jump of the old 'vampires are here to hurt us' bandwagon."

 

"I'm just worried." Danny reasoned. "They eat humans to stay alive, you can't tell me that's not worrying." Laura opened her mouth to reply, retort at the ready, but she was cut off by LaFontaine.

 

"As interesting as this debate is, I think we're missing the biggest worry here." Both Danny and Laura looked at them confusedly.

 

"And that is…?" Danny asked, when no answer was forthcoming.

 

"Someone's going to have to tell Perry." There was a pause of uncertainty while everyone recollected exactly how well Perry dealt with unusual situations.

 

"Maybe she'll be okay with it?" Laura gave a half-hearted grin of hopefulness that was promptly shattered by LaFontaine.

 

"Yeah right, you know how she gets about the abnormal. I think she's only just got used to the idea that she attends a school for magic. Vampires are definitely going to freak her out." LaFontaine sighed, their mind already predicting the various ways this could end badly.

 

"I still don't understand how someone so concerned with keeping things normal can attend a magic school without complaint." Danny mused, running a hand through her hair.

 

"It wasn't easy. You know it took a visit from three different teachers to convince her it wasn't me playing a prank? She wouldn't speak to me for a week when the letters first arrived and I said I hadn't sent them."

 

"Really?"

 

"Oh yeah. In the end McGonagall herself had to come and explain things." Danny sent LaFontaine a sympathetic look as they let their head thump back against their seat.

 

"How did McGonagall convince her?"

 

"Uh...she didn't. Not really. Per got so upset with the conversation that she magically flipped everything in the room upside down and glued it to the ceiling, myself and McGonagall included. That convinced Per that she needed to learn to control it at least but she can still get a little…explodey, magic-wise, if something shocks her and, I don't know if you've noticed, but we're on a moving train. Upside down would be a really bad idea right now."

 

"Okay…so maybe we just don't tell her until we've reached Hogwarts?" Laura suggested, not particularly keen to find out exactly what the ramifications of suddenly being on an upturned train would be.

 

"I'm in favour of that." Danny hastily agreed.

 

"Uh huh. Sounds good." LaFontaine nodded. At that moment, the cabin door slid open to reveal a pristine Perry already garbed in her immaculate house robes.

 

"Hello everyone, all is well I trust? Why aren't you in your robes yet?" Perry examined the trio's overly nonchalant expressions for about all of three seconds before she caught on to the weird air in the cabin. Sighing in exasperation, Perry fixed them with a stern glare. "What? What have you three done now?


	2. An Unusual Sorting

Laura raised her arms over her head, letting out a satisfied groan as she stretched to relieve the stiffness that inevitably came with long train rides. She stood on the platform as waves of students flowed out of the train around her and began making their way towards the carriages that would take them to the school, save for the first years now gathering around Hagrid, easily visible by even someone of Laura's stature as he towered over them. She smiled, fondly recalling her own first year and the sense of wonder and awe that she felt when she arrived.

The slight force of another student bumping into her shoulder brought the short witch out of her reverie. She craned her neck as she looked for Danny and LaFontaine, as the pair had managed to get off of the train before her. With Danny's height, it didn't take long for Laura to locate them.

"Where's Perry?" Laura asked. "Still on the train?"

"Actually, she's right behind you," LaFontaine commented. Laura turned to find Perry walking quickly towards the trio, appearing quite highly strung, as it were. It had taken the Hufflepuff prefect hardly any time to convince LaFontaine to tell her what they had been discussing prior to her entry into their train compartment. If the rest of them were honest, they would say that she had taken the news rather well (though Laura later discovered that several of her cans of bear spray were inexplicably crushed). Still, it was obvious that she, least among the group, was ready to deal with this new addition to their class.

"Well," Perry said tersely with a clearly forced smile on her face. "Shall we?" She gestured in the direction of the carriages. Laura, Danny, and LaFontaine looked at each other for a moment before they nodded and filed in behind the redheaded prefect as she began to walk towards the gate.

The ride up to the castle was uneventful, as one might expect, with the four exchanging idle chatter (along with a few complaints about the unusually cold weather, considering that it was only August). It wasn't long before they reached the Great Hall, and Laura and Danny headed over to the Gryffindor table while LaFontaine and Perry made their way to the Hufflepuffs.

"Sometimes I wonder if anyone at this school pays any attention at all to the Daily Prophet," Danny commented as she took her seat next to Laura, noticing the atmosphere was as cheerful and buzzing with excitement as it always was on the night of the students' arrival. No one seemed concerned that they were about to be joined by two creatures of the night.

"Even if they did, maybe they're right not to worry. Maybe there really isn't any real reason to be scared," Laura replied. Danny looked at her skeptically.

"Did we read the same article?" Laura rolled her eyes.

"Yes, _Danny_. I'm just saying, I can't imagine Headmistress McGonagall allowing anyone truly dangerous in here." Danny sighed.

"I guess you _may_ be right,"

"Hey, come on, don't be so somber!" Laura said brightly as she looked up at the taller girl. "Everything's going to be fine! I'm sure this year's going to be great, vampires or not." Danny chuckled and shook her head.

"Perhaps you're right…but that's not going to stop me from stockpiling stakes in our dormitory starting tonight." Danny had a smirk on her face as she spoke that told Laura that while the redhead was, in fact, taking her advice to cheer up, she was still most certainly serious. Laura smiled as she opened her mouth to issue a retort, but it was at that moment that they heard the large doors to the Great Hall open once again. The crowd of students instantly silenced as the first years were led in by Professor Longbottom.

The sorting of the first years went on as usual, with each boy and girl stepping wide-eyed up to the stool where they would sit while the Sorting hat judged them before making their way to whichever table was giving the most enthusiastic applause (because really, how else were they to know which table corresponded to the name the Sorting hat had just bellowed?). Laura yawned as it seemed to drag on much longer than usual. Or maybe it just seemed longer every time after having sat through it for so many years. After the second time of being a non-participant, it all became rather repetitive. Danny was a bit more attentive, more for the first years' sake than anything else.

It was after the sorting had finished and all of the new first years had been seated that Laura's attention was finally reclaimed by the events unfolding in the Great Hall, for a man of no more than twenty-five, wearing a set of robes that looked remarkably like a muggle business suit, made his presence known at the head of the room. His hair was a golden blonde and trimmed short in a neat fashion. He was, to be sure, a rather attractive man. Headmistress McGonagall rose as well to give him a proper introduction.

"Attention students. I'll keep the reminders brief this year as we have other matters to attend to. Firstly, all Weasley Wizard Wheezes products are subject to confiscation should they interfere with your own or any other students learning. Secondly, though I really shouldn't have to remind you all again, there is NO venturing into the Forbidden Forest, even if you are experimenting with the magical properties of exploding bark," she said in a loud, commanding tone. LaFontaine shrank down in their seat as McGonagall sent a pointed glare in their direction. "Please bear that in mind over the course of the coming year. Now I'd like to introduce Lewis Worple from the Ministry of Magic, who some of you may recognise from current events in the news." The students clapped politely to welcome him, and he returned to them a beaming smile which showcased a row of exquisitely white teeth. "And please give him your full attention, he has some announcements that I should expect you will find quite... interesting." The slight pause in the witch's voice did not go unnoticed by Laura and Danny, who it seemed were one of only a handful of students who had an inkling of what was to come. The two girls exchanged a nervous, knowing look. Over at the Hufflepuff table, LaFontaine noticed that the Sorting Hat had not been removed.

"That's odd..." they whispered before quickly being shushed by a rather squeamish looking Perry.

"Thank you, Headmistress," the blonde man said, giving a slight bow of his head in her direction. "And thank you, students, for the warm welcome. As your lovely Headmistress previously stated, my name is Lewis Worple. I work for the Ministry of Magic. As some of you may know..." His gaze swept about the Great Hall as he spoke. "Recently, a new decree has just been passed by the Ministry, one that I, myself am quite proud of. Ministerial Decree 192, which states that vampires are no longer to be classed as 'beings of near human intelligence' but are now 'beings of a humanoid nature to be granted the same civil rights and freedoms as humans.'" There was a wave of uneasy whispers now making its way throughout the crowd of students. Worple waited a moment before continuing. "One of the many benefits denied to vampires is the access to a proper magical education. Now, obviously, true vampires cannot attend a standard magical institution, due to their need for massively different sleeping patterns and eating habits."

"That's one way to put it," Danny muttered under her breath, earning a smirk from Laura.

"However, part-vampires, who bear more resemblance to humans than actual vampires, have also suffered from the same stigma and prejudices that full vampires do, and, as such, despite being perfectly fit for human society, have not had access to an adequate magical education from a fine institution such as this." The nervous conversing among the students was growing louder now. "But now, with the passing of this new law, they will not have to suffer such injustice, and I am proud to announce that Hogwarts will be the first institution of higher magical learning to accept part-vampires as students." All at once, there was a loud uproar as the students voiced all manner of protests and fears at the news that they would be host to vampiric guests this year. McGonagall quickly rose from her seat.

"Silence!" She yelled. It was terse and threatening and collected and dangerous all at once. The students instantly complied. Worple nodded his head in thanks to the elder witch.

"I assure you, there is nothing for you to worry about. It's understandable that you may be uneasy, given the lies which have constantly permeated the wizarding world surrounding vampiric culture, however..." Worple took a short, deep breath before continuing. "My father dedicated his life to understanding Vampires, and it was his dream that the rest of us could, like him, come to understand and empathize with them. True, it is quite likely you will never encounter a full vampire, however, you should understand that they are no more dangerous than any wizard you might meet. And there is no reason to have any more fear of part-vampires. They are rather like each one of you, in fact." He paused, looking slowly across the sea of young witches and wizards, letting his last point sink in. "So, with that, it gives me great pleasure to introduce to you William Eisen and Carmilla Karnstein!" He swept his right arm out in a wide arc as he gestured towards a boy and a girl who had just stepped forward.

Laura turned her head slightly as she took in the sight of the part-vampires. They didn't look at all like she expected them to. Then again, she supposed, she really had no idea what part-vampires should look like. The boy was slightly taller than the girl, and both were a few inches shorter than Mr. Worple. The boy, William, had short, brown hair, a slightly tanned complexion, and a not-so-subtle smirk on his face. Carmilla had long, sweeping black hair and pale skin. Laura probably would have found her quite attractive were it not for the scowl which adorned her face. She clearly did not want to be here.

"And as I'm sure you'll have noticed, since they will be students with you, they will need to be sorted!" Worple said. "Professor Longbottom?" The Head of Gryffindor house nodded and stepped back up to the Sorting Hat, lifting it before turning and calling out the boy vampire's name.

"William Eisen!" He said loudly. The boy strode forward, dressed in the standard house-neutral robes usually reserved for first years. As the Hat went down upon his head, Danny turned to whisper in Laura's ear.

"Any guesses?"

Laura contemplated for a moment.

"A Galleon says we get him," she said. Danny smirked.

"You're on."

There was a moment of silence, and all watched in eager anticipation before the Hat called out in a loud voice, "Ravenclaw!"

"I win," Danny said smugly over the sound of a slightly less than enthusiastic applause welcoming the new addition to Ravenclaw house. Laura's eyes narrowed at the redhead.

"Carmilla Karnstein," Professor Longbottom called out as Will took his seat at the edge of the Ravenclaw table. The dark haired, pale girl stepped forward, looking nothing if not completely uninterested in the events taking place around her.

"A galleon says she ends up in Slytherin," Danny muttered quietly.

"I'm not going to bet against you there," Laura replied with a smirk as the professor placed the ratty old hat down onto Carmilla's head.

"Oh... Oh my," the sorting hat began. There was a rather long pause, during which the hat appeared to frown in confusion. "This is most unexpected indeed." Laura perked up slightly as the hat broke the silence, her interest piqued by its unusual reaction. The Sorting Hat wasn't usually one to deliberate, and it usually didn't vocalize such things when it did. You really only got one or two students every other year or so where the Sorting Hat vocally contemplated its decision, but even these lasted scarcely longer than thirty seconds or so. It has been recorded, though, the hat could take upwards of five minutes to reach a decision, leading to what is referred to by those who know of such occurrences as a hatstall. Carmilla only rolled her eyes.

The hall was deathly quiet. Time passed quite uncomfortably, and it was well past the time necessary for a hatstall classification when the Sorting Hat finally spoke up again. "This one's too... complex. There's bravery, sure, potentially questionable loyalties, a pristine mind, and more cunning than I've seen in quite a long time. But, my dear, it is unfortunate but you do not fit... anywhere."

The silence that followed was deafening. Never was it even heard of in any histories of Hogwarts that the Sorting Hat had ever been well and truly stumped (LaFontaine would know; they read all of them). But Carmilla only scoffed.

"Just put me wherever I can be left alone," she muttered.

"So be it," the Sorting Hat replied. "Slytherin it is!"


	3. Charming Introductions

So ecstatic was her mood that Laura positively skipped towards the Great Hall for lunch. The reason for her elated nature was simple: magic. Summers spent with her dad and catching up with old school friends were wonderful, but Laura had never truly lost that dumbstruck sense of awe she felt from seeing the lights of the castle glimmering across the water for the first time. Returning to Hogwarts after any kind of break always put Laura in the happiest of moods because every time she was reintroduced to this completely different world where the extraordinary suddenly wasn't so impossible.

 

This year was particular cause for excitement, given the change in timetabling. Although beginning work on N.E.W.Ts would be difficult, Laura no longer had to take compulsory subjects like Divination or History of Magic and could focus her attention on the subjects she had actually chosen and loved without other ones cluttering up her schedule. Admittedly, it was a little odd having an entirely new dynamic in the classroom; everyone choosing subjects personal to them meant that classes no longer consisted of two houses lumped together. Instead, they were made up of individuals from each house. It was weird because, though she got to enjoy the company of LaF and Perry this morning, Laura had always had Danny by her side through lessons since she'd first arrived at Hogwarts, and now their different subjects meant she hadn't seen hide nor hair of the tall red head all morning. By now, it was time for lunch, and the short witch was eager to see if Danny was enjoying the new curriculum as well.

 

If the angry way Danny came storming into the hall was any indication, Laura guessed perhaps not. She grew worried as Danny performed a quick march to where Laura was seated, threw herself down and began mumbling in a manner that suggested something had really gotten to her. The violent way Danny began piling food on to her plate actually began to scare Laura slightly.

 

"Did you have a bad morning?" She asked timidly as Danny glared at the food.

 

"Of all the annoying…"

 

A potato was speared with unrelenting viciousness.

 

"Aggravating…"

 

Slices of ham were dragged onto Danny's plate with a promise of vengeance.

 

"Obnoxious…"

 

Gravy was poured with extreme prejudice.

 

" _Insufferable…"_

 

"Whoa whoa whoa, Danny, calm down. No need to hulk out all over the food."

 

"Is Hulk the one with the hammer?" Danny asked, briefly distracted by Laura's muggle trivia once again.

 

"No, he's the big green one who…you know what? Never mind, it's not important. What is important is the way you're attacking your food like it broke your broomstick in half. What's the matter?"

 

"Little Miss Darkness and Pessimism is the matter." Laura's face scrunched up in confusion as she tried to figure out who Danny was talking about.

 

"….Professor Sowdy?"

 

"What? Who?"

 

"The new Divination teacher." Laura gestured to the teacher's table where a small, pinched woman dressed all in black was eyeing her soup like it was the cause of all sorrow and suffering in the world.

 

"No. That…that…vampire. I ran into her in the hall just now and I remembered what you were saying about them not getting a good reception because they're part-vampire and what not so I figured, okay, try to be nice, be a welcoming member of the student body. Hah, like that was ever going to work. She goes out of her way to be rude and she just…nyagh!" Another potato was lost to Danny's fork. "Why did she even come here? She's obviously not got a deep seated desire to get the socialising she so clearly needs."

 

"That bad huh?"

 

"She called me Xena."

 

"Is that a bad thing? You liked Xena when I made you watch it."

 

"It was the way she said it." Danny harrumphed. Laura frowned at her friend's clear ire, Danny didn't let things get under her skin very often so this Carmilla girl had to have really gone out of her way to annoy Danny. Before she could work on cheering Danny up, she squealed as a loud 'BOO' startled her. Fortunately for Kirsch, he remembered it was a good idea to not also grab Laura's shoulders playfully the way he had in their younger years. Laura didn't deal too well with physical surprises, and years of krav maga training (her father's idea, as you may imagine) meant that one punch to the throat was more than enough for him thank you very much.

 

"What's up Lil Hottie?" Kirsch grinned, then nodded at Danny. "Psycho."

 

"Oh great, that's all I need." Danny muttered into her lunch. Kirsch ignored her scowl, used to them by now, and sat down next to Laura along with the pale dark haired boy Laura had seen at the sorting last night. "Thought I'd come over and introduce my new main bro Will." Kirsch beamed, happily slinging an arm around the guy next to him.

 

"Hey." He greeted with a casual salute.

 

"Well you're already nicer than what's-her-face." Danny pointedly commented, still not over her encounter with the dark haired girl.

 

"Who? Carmilla?" Will asked. "Oh don't mind her. She's not a morning person or a people person and this is both so…."

 

"It's not the morning." Danny pointed out.

 

"It is to us." Will shrugged back, ignoring Danny's less than hospitable attitude. "We don't really wake before noon. We can but it's really difficult and we're a lot more sensitive to morning light so all of our classes are scheduled for the afternoon."

 

"I was wondering why we hadn't seen either of you around yet." Laura smiled, noticing the uncomfortable way Will kept squinting at the light coming in through the windows.

 

"Yeah, only just got up." He confirmed, looking around the table for something.

 

"Which is totally awesome because we both have History of Magic next and that means an hour of Quidditch strategy." Kirsch grinned, jostling his new buddy who was clearly just trying to reach for the mysterious goblet of red fluid that had appeared in front of him.

 

"You play?" Danny asked, appraising Will in an entirely new light. Kirsch was the one who responded.

 

"Yeah, and he's gonna help us crush Gryffindor this year."

 

"Ha, I'll believe that when I see it." Danny snorted.

 

"Oh, you're gonna."

 

"You think you can take us, popped collar?"

 

"Oh I know we can, psycho." Kirsch retorted, continuing to squabble with Danny as Laura sighed, knowing she wasn't going to get any kind of non-quidditch related conversation from the two now.

 

"Are they always like this?" Will asked, looking slightly scared by the two bickering captains.

 

"Pretty much." Laura sighed. "So why'd you pick a History of Magic N.E.W.T?" She asked, trying to start conversation and…you know, be the welcoming role model of Hogwarts she'd encouraged Danny to be. "Did no one warn you about Professor Binns?"

 

"Oh yeah, I met him once back when he was still alive. If I wasn't already dead the dude would have bored me to it." Will chuckled which made Laura pause. Will. Will knew Binns when he was alive. Binns was an old ghost. _Will knew Binns when he was alive._ By the time Laura's brain linked together the necessary bits of information it needed to understand that Will, despite his boyish appearance, was older than Professor Binns and just as dead, Laura had been staring at Will for a longer amount of time than was ever necessary in conversation. "Um, are you okay?"

 

"Yeah, sorry. Why did you go for it then?" That's it Laura, skirt around that disturbing piece of information, don't make him feel weird, definitely don't point out that small drop of red stuff at the corner of his lip that's definitely not blood, no no no no no, nothing irregular here.

 

"Easy grade you know? I lived through a lot of it so I can just chill with Kirsch during lessons and focus on my own stuff."

 

"I always found it was easiest just to use Binns's class to do homework for other subjects and study his material on my own time." Laura replied, leading the two to make general chit chat about the school which turned out to be not nearly as awkward as Laura would have predicted when the conversation first began, even with the backing track of Danny and Kirsch throwing increasingly ludicrous insults at each other (Laura's favourite was the way Kirsch likened Danny's flying technique to a drunken flobberworm…not that she'd be telling Danny that). It was only as lunch was beginning to end that they were interrupted by an owl swooping past and depositing a note in front of Laura.

 

"What is it?" Danny asked as Laura's eyes scanned over the messy writing.

 

"It's Professor Kinleigh. He wants me to see me before Charms, says he has something he needs to ask me." Laura said, already going to gather her stuff. Lunch was already almost at an end anyway so she wasn't surprised to see Danny begin to pack up her stuff too.

 

"I've had about enough of the bonehead here." Danny nodded her head in Kirsch's direction and ignored his spluttering. "I may as well go meet LaF in Potions. No doubt they're already there and blowing something up. I'll see you in Herbology later?"

 

"Yeah."

 

"Good, we can talk then without someone," here Danny glared at Kirsch, "interrupting."

 

"You started it." Laura heard him mumble and Will snicker as they walked away.

 

* * *

 

 

For whatever reason, from the moment her first lesson began, Laura had always held a great proclivity for Charms, and her enthusiasm for study had led her to spend many an extra-curricular hour in the Charms room. Whether it be tutoring younger students or talking over theories for the creation of new spells with her professor, Laura knew this room inside and out. That's perhaps why Laura immediately noticed the out of place, dark haired girl slumped forward across her desk in a slightly dimmer corner towards the back of the room. Judging by the steady rise and fall of her chest, she was fast asleep. Feeling a little scared about the prospect of facing the new girl after a few examples of just how irritable Carmilla could be from Will, Laura chose to continue to the front of the room where a man just tip toeing his way from his thirties to his forties, with one or two rogue silver hairs beginning to appear amongst the light brown mass on his head, was currently sifting his way through the large mess of assorted parchment covering every inch of his desk.

 

"Hello Professor!"

 

"Ah! Hello there Laura!" He grinned, pushing the heavy glasses that were sliding down his nose back up, before he frowned a touch in confusion. "…shouldn't you be in a lesson right now?"

 

"You asked me to meet with you sir? And then we have a Charms lesson?" Laura reminded him.

 

"What? No no no no no, that's not until after lunch surely?"

 

"It is after lunch professor." Laura said, pointing to the clock on the wall. He followed her finger to the clock in surprise as he ascertained that she was, indeed, correct.

 

"Is it really? My goodness, so it is." Laura maintained that Professor Kinleigh, who had taken the position of Charms professor after Professor Flitwick had retired, was a fantastic man with a fantastic enthusiasm for Charms. His knowledge and passion for it were what inspired Laura to glean as much as she could from the subject in her younger years. Unfortunately, during Laura's fourth year, the poor, bespectacled man had volunteered as referee for a match between Slytherin and Hufflepuff, which had resulted in him receiving a rogue bludger to the head. While a few weeks in St Mungo's were more than enough to keep him alive, Professor Kinleigh had since become a little…absent from his own mind. His extensive understanding of Charms was still as sharp as ever, but he became easily addled by day to day tasks. "So we have a meeting now?" Laura nodded. Professor Kinleigh checked the back of his hand where there were several times with names scrawled in black ink. He tapped the one marked '1400 – Laura Hollis' and a whole new handful of writing replaced the list of times. Kinleigh hummed as he read over what was there while Laura was once again left to smile happily at the beauty of magic. "Oh no!"

 

"What is it?"

 

"I was supposed to meet with a new student as well apparently, have a chat with her before class began. I wonder where she is…"

 

"Uh, Professor?"

 

"Hmm?" Laura gestured to the thoroughly asleep girl. "Oh! How long has she been here?" He frowned, no doubt trying to recall seeing her before and failing.

 

"I don't know, I just came in now."

 

"You did?"

 

"Uh huh."

 

"Right, right, so you did. The reason I asked you here a little ahead of time is because I was wondering if there's any chance of you doing me a favour?"

 

"Of course, what is it?"

 

"Your knowledge of Charms is exemplary and I wonder if you wouldn't mind sitting with this," he checked his hand again, "Carmilla girl for the next couple of lessons. Help her out, make sure she understands the curriculum and the such like. I believe someone from her own age group may help make the transition easier."

 

"Well she's hardly my age."

 

"What do you mean?" He asked confused. Ah, evidently the vampire part had slipped his mind.

 

"She's a part-vampire professor." Laura reminded him.

 

"Good Merlin, is she really?" He leaned in close to whisper his next words in case the girl on the desk overheard. "Is that allowed?"

 

"Ministerial Decree 192 sir? It's been all over the newspapers for weeks?" A light flicked on in Kinleigh's eyes as the bits of information slotted into place.

 

"Ah right! Yes, of course, of course. I remember now. Nevertheless, I think she could benefit from your help. What do you say?" Laura felt a little reluctant, still remembering just how irate Danny had seemed at lunch…but Professor Kinleigh was looking at her hopefully, and, if she really was a bad as Danny made out, then Laura kind of wanted to protect her scatter brained Professor. Even the lightest amount of sarcasm went straight over his head.

 

"Don't worry sir, I've got this." She assured him.

 

"Fantastic! I knew I could count on you! How long do I have before the other students arrive?"

 

"Uhhh…not long. Maybe a couple of minutes?"

 

"Righto, go introduce yourself to Miss…to Miss…uhh," yet another quick check of the hand, "Hollis, wait, no, that's your name. Karnstein! Yes, go introduce yourself to Miss Karnstein while I look over my…oh sod it all, where has my lesson plan gone?" He cursed at the pile of paper in front of him.

 

"Here Professor." Laura chuckled lightly, fishing out a bit of paper from the clutter on the desk.

 

"Splendid! Good work Hollis, good work." He smiled as Laura made her way to the seat at the back of the room. Settling herself down, she contemplated how she was going to wake Carmilla.

 

"Helloooo?" She ventured lightly.

 

 

"Carmilla?" A little louder this time.

 

No response.

 

"You have to wake up, we have Charms now."

 

Still nothing. Laura hesitated slightly as she reached out but ultimately decided that a gentle shake to the shoulders was necessary.

 

"Carmilla?"

 

"No." Came the grumpy reply with a shrug to remove Laura's hands.

 

"I'm Laura Hollis…" Laura waited to see if that would get any kind of return introduction.

 

 

"I know you're awake."

 

"No I'm not." The response was a little muffled due to the fact that Carmilla had still refused to remove her face from where it was buried in her arms.

 

"Look, Professor Kinleigh's asked me to help you get settled in. You kind of need to be awake for that though."

 

"Not interested."

 

"You can't just sleep through Charms."

 

"Watch me." Came the biting retort.

 

"Come on, Charms is fun!" Laura said with reinforced cheeriness. Something about Laura's strained voice cause Carmilla to sit up and glare blearily at the Gryffindor.

 

"Look, cutie, I don't want to be here, I don't want to be awake, and I don't give a hippogriff's flying shit about Charms. So how about you shut up and let me get some rest, okay, cupcake?" She said in a saccharine sweet tone somehow also filled with venom. Laura sat in shocked silence as Carmilla readjusted herself on the desk and went straight back to sleep.

 

So…that went well.


End file.
